Shoe-supporting bracket.



PATEEITED JANL31, 1905;

r. J. sms. snon SUPPORTING BRACKET.

APPLICATION FILED KAY 26, 1904.

, INVENTOR flanfiMbzw UNITED STATES FRANK J. snus', OF NEW YORK, N. r, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF Patented. January 31, 1905.

. PATENT. OFFICE.

JAMES EDWIN MEADE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. I

SHOE-SUPPORTING BRACKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,468, dated January 31, 1905.

. Application filed May 26,1904. Serial No. 209.869.

To a. whom it may "on/087%:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. SIMS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of NewYork, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Shoe-Supporting Bracket, of which the following'is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a shoe-supporting bracket; and the principal object of the inven tion is to provide a shoe-supporting bracket formed of wire and characterized by great cheapness, while possessing great durability and a high degree of efficiency.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe-supporting bracket made of wire which is of simple, neat, and attractive appearance and will grip a shoe very securely without injuring or marring the shoe in any way.

The objects above stated and others of minor character, which will presently appear, are attained in the shoe-supporting bracket hereinafter' fully described, and the novel features bracket holds ashoe; and Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the bracket with the shoe removed therefrom.

Upon reference to the drawings it will be observed that the bracket is of generally trapezoidal form, having parallel top and bottom portions, a vertical back portion, and an inclined front or supporting portion. The" bracket is preferably formed of asin gle piece of wire bent substantially in the middle, as shown at 1, and twisted to form the back 2 of the bracket. In the twisting of the wire to form the back 2 loops 3 are formed in one of the strands of wire and compressedso that they may be bent downward to form lugs 4: for engagement with screw-eyes 5 or other tions to form the front 8 of the bracket.

equivalent structures by which the bracket is to be supported. Just above the upper lug4= jaws 7, adapted to grip the shank of a shoe upon opposite sides. From the gripping-jaws 7 the two strands of wire are continued downwardly and forwardly in approximately parallel direc- Near the lower portion of the front of the bracket the I two strands are formed into two lateral loops 9, which extend outward precisely opposite each other and form a rest for the sole of the shoe.

again twisted together, as shown at 10, and at a slight distance below the arms 9 the twisted strands are bent rearward to form the horizontal bottom portion 10 of the bracket. The two ends of the strands are then securely fastened in the bottom of the back 2 of the bracket by passing the said strands through the loop formed at 1 and bending them about the sides of thesaid loop.

Immediately below the arms 9 the strands are i From the foregoing description and the drawings illustrative thereof it will be clearly seen that when the bracket is secured in the screw-eyes 5 or other equivalentstructuresit .will present a pair of gripping-jaws'at the .top of the inclined front portion of the bracket which are adapted to grip and hold securely the shank of a shoe S, and at a suitable distance below the gripping-jaws the inclined front of the bracket is provided with oppositely-disposed arms of sufficient width to form a broad rest for the sole of the shoe. The inclination of the front of the bracket may beat any angle desired; but that shown in the drawings is that which will ordinarily be preferred to show the shoe to the best advantage.

The mode of using the improved shoe-supporting bracket will be clearly evidentfrom the drawings and the description of the bracket. As the two strands forming the top of the bracket are untwisted and those forming the front of the bracket are untwisted throughout the greater portion of their length, it is obvious that the jaws 7 may be readily separated to permit the introduction of the shank of a shoe therebetween, and after the introduction of the shank of the shoe if the jaws are released the resiliency of the wire of which the bracket is made will automatically close the jaws upon the shank ofthe shoe, as indicated in Fig. 1. hen the shank of the shoe is thus gripped between the jaws 7, the sole of the shoe will rest upon the arms 9 near the bottom of the inclined front portion of the bracket, and the shoe will be firmly held in proper position for display. To release the shoe from the supporting-bracket, it is only necessary to separate the gripping-jaws 7, so that the shank may be removed from between them.

From the foregoing disclosure of the construction and mode of using the improved shoe-supporting bracket it will be readily seen that the structure is of such a character that it may be very cheaply manufactured, that it may be made use of in connection with very simple supporting devices, such as the screweyes shown, which are of course to be screwed into a wall W or other suitable structure, and that the bracket is of simple and attractive design.

In furnishing the bracket for commercial use it may be desirable to produce several different sizes for employment with mens, womens, and childrens shoes, and it may be also desirable to vary in the minor details the design and finish of the structure. As such variations do not, however, present any departure from the spirit of the invention and fall within the scope of the appended claims, specific illustration and description thereof is regarded as unnecessary.

Having thusd'escribed my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. A shoe-supporting bracket presenting a front portion and laterally-disposed upper and lower portions formed of substantially parallel strands of wire, said strands being connected only at the rear of the upper portion and at the lower part of the front portion of the bracket, and being formed near the top of the front portion of the bracket into a pair of gripping-jaws.

2. A shoe-supporting bracket formed of a double wire, the strands whereof are twisted to form a vertical extension adapted to attach to asupport.a horizontal extension also formed of the twisted strands of said wire, and an inclined extension connecting said vertical extension and said horizontal extension and adapted to engage the sole of a shoe, the strands of said double wire at said inclined extension being maintained apart to constitute a rest.

3. A shoe-supporting bracket, formed of a single piece of wire, and comprising approximately horizontal top and bottom portions, a. substantially vertical back portion, and an inclined frontportion, said back and bottom portions being formed of two strands of twisted wire and the top and front portions being formed of two substantially parallel strands of wire formed near the top of the front into a pair of oppositely-arranged gripping-jaws.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK J. SIMS.

Vitnesses:

Leo S. Po'r'rs, V Tnouxs J. (iroxxon, Jr. 

